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Certainly researching a great day care center involves looking at the day care center’s reputation, teacher and assistant qualifications, the curriculum, and children to adult ratio. Let’s not stop there however; day care center furniture is just as much a consideration in choosing a great facility as the above mentioned criteria. Day care center furniture in general must be age appropriate, stimulating, and safe.
So, what criteria are used when a day care center chooses its furniture? The first thing that will be examined is the varying ages of the children in care, secondly, the number of children enrolled in the day care center program, thirdly is consideration of the appropriateness of the day care center furniture to the curriculum guided activities, and finally who is in charge of monitoring or inspecting the furniture and how often the activity occurs.
Children come in all shapes and sizes, and so should the day care center furniture. Child developmental guidelines can help ensure that highchairs, playpens, cribs, activity mats, and other day care center furniture will be age appropriate for babies to toddlers. Day care center furniture should stimulate the children. Sleeping and seating furnishings must be in sufficient supply as to accommodate all children attending the day care center.
Day care center furniture designed for babies to toddlers should include such items as, colorful highchairs with built in activity toys, sturdy mesh fabric playpens with removable pads and play yards with large motor skill toys and activities, and brightly colored floor mats with safety mirrors and characters. Subsequently, preschool aged children have different size requirements and require more movable parts such as, gliders, rocking horses, tables and chairs sets, desks, book shelves, toddler cots, and toy boxes.
In addition, all toddler furniture should be accessible, comfortable and functional to include built in activities that stimulate curiosity and help further development of motor skills. Cubbies give each child a place to store personal items such as, shoes, hats and gloves in addition to teaching organizational skills.
Day care center furniture should be purchased with the safety of children in mind, and care center managers will find it a useful practice to research and adhere to federal guidelines when purchasing children’s furniture. All furniture must be of sturdy, colored (not painted) unbreakable plastic, with rounded edges and corners.
All cribs should have bumpers and the slats should be close enough to prevent a child from getting her head caught between them. Toddler cots need to be sturdy when unfolded and close to the floor; children do fall onto the floor occasionally while sleeping therefore, all floors must be carpeted. Mesh enclosed play yards and play pens protect babies’ and toddlers’ heads and extremities from harm, too.
Furniture like book shelves and cubbies must be mounted to the walls and toddler sofas, tables, and chairs bolted to the floor. Daily cleaning and disinfecting procedures along with weekly inspection of day care center furniture will keep down the incidents of illness and ensure no child will be poked, scratched or other wise injured due to disrepair.download godsmack the other side